


Pumpkin Carving

by f0rever15elf



Category: Triple Frontier (2019)
Genre: F/M, Food mention, Pedro Pascal - Freeform, Pining, addiction mention, alcohol mention, drug mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27130909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f0rever15elf/pseuds/f0rever15elf
Summary: Frankie invites you out with his daughter to collect pumpkins for carving before going back to his place to carve them and watch a movie. It ends in a way you never expected, but have always dreamed of.
Relationships: Francisco "Catfish" Morales & Reader, Francisco "Catfish" Morales/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Pumpkin Carving

You’ve known Francisco Morales for so many years. You sent letters to him while he was deployed, you stood on his side of the altar along with his team members for his wedding, you helped coordinate his baby shower, you held him in your arms as he mourned his crumbling marriage, and you stood by him as he got back to his feet to act the part of the single father he now was. Always smiling for him along the sidelines with him none the wiser to your true feelings. You love him, truly and deeply, but always silently. Pope and Benny both knew, and had consistently been on you about telling him, but you just… can’t bring yourself to. Not anymore.

You had tried in the past, but the timing was always wrong. The first time, he confided in you that he was going to ask his now ex out for the first time. The next time, it was when he told you he was going to ask her to marry him. And the final time… that was the time that put the nail in the coffin of your emotions for Francisco Morales. That was the time he swore off relationships completely before looking to you with those big, beautiful eyes asking what it was you wanted to tell him. _Oh, it’s nothing, never mind_. He hadn’t looked convinced, but he didn’t press. Frankie never pressed.

Now, his little daughter Ariel comes up to almost his hip, a bubbling and beautiful five year old with eyes just like her father’s. You’re the go-to sitter for the little one, taking care of her whenever Frankie had to go do something and couldn’t bring her with him. He has full custody of her, and with good reason, his ex having been the one to encourage his coke habit to begin with. He’s been clean for years while his ex-wife has been in and out of rehab, stripped of her parental rights for reckless endangerment. Good riddance, as far as you are concerned, though you never voice these thoughts, knowing that Frankie still cares for the woman he once loved.

~~~~

As fall begins to settle over the little town you live in, you find your thoughts drifting more and more to the former pilot and his little girl. Your unconventional family. A smile dances across your lips at the thought of hosting Thanksgiving this year as you move around your little home, putting up decorations for the rapidly approaching Halloween. That smile only grows when your phone rings, Frankie’s name lighting it up.

“Frankie!” you chirp, holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder as you drape garlands of leaves across the fireplace. “What’s going on?”

“Hey girl, got a question for you.” You can hear the smile in his voice and it makes your heart flutter.

“Shoot.”

“Riri wants to carve a pumpkin this year and she had an excellent question. She wanted to know if you carve pumpkins.”

You can’t help but chuckle, shaking your head. “Yes, I carve pumpkins.” In the background, you hear the little girl shriek out the word pumpkin at the absolute top of her voice.

“Well, she’s excited to go pick a few out to carve. You busy? Wanna tag along with us to the pumpkin patch to pick a few out? Figured we could have a little get together and carve some.” He lowers his voice. “Plus, I’m terrible at it. Please help.”

“Of course, Morales. I’ll save your ass once again,” you play, your cheeks getting warm when you hear his rich chuckle. “When you going?”

“We can pick you up in about 20 if you’re ready now.”

“That sounds good. I’ll be ready and waiting.”

“Sounds good. See you soon.” The line cuts off to the sound of Ariel shrieking again about pumpkins. What a little angel that girl is.

Frankie’s timing couldn’t be more perfect, the sound of his horn honking in the drive as you finish slipping on your boots. You step outside to see Ariel waving frantically from the backseat and return her wave enthusiastically before locking up and jogging up to the car, hopping in. “Well hello to my two favorite people in the whole wide world!” You sing, to which Ariel giggles, hiding behind the Totoro stuffed animal you had gotten her last Christmas.

“Hello to you too, gorgeous! Ready to go?” You grin, trying to downplay just how much that little nickname makes your heart ache as you nod. “Let’s do this thing!”

At the patch, it doesn’t take long for Ariel to go tearing off, looking for the perfect pumpkin as you and Frankie meander at a slower pace, watching her enjoy herself. You’re lost in your thoughts about how happy she looks when Frankie’s voice draws you back. “Thank you for coming, chica.” Your eyes drift back to him to see him smiling down at you. “Ariel really likes going on outings like this with you. You’re all she talks about after you’re done watching her for me.”

You can’t help the smile that graces your face as you look back at his daughter who is waving to try and get you to come see what she found. “She’s the best little companion, really. I never have any issues with her. Love the tiny terror to death.” Frankie chuckles, nodding. “It’s a shame we don’t do things like this more often, really. Hanging out as the three of us.”

“Yeah, I agree. Just busy with work, you know?” You nod, heart sinking a bit when you realize he missed the point entirely.

“Yeah, being an adult sucks.”

“Daaaaaddddddd!” Ariel cries, dramatically acting exasperated at how long the adults are taking to get to her.

“She learned that from you, by the way,” Frankie mumbles before smiling at his daughter, crouching down beside her to examine the pumpkin she found. You just grin, recognizing your sass on the little girl’s face, a product of all your girls days. “Sweetheart, I think this pumpkin is perfect! We’ll get it!” The girl giggles excitedly, throwing her arms around her father’s neck and you slip out your phone, quickly snapping a picture. “Well, now that just leaves yours and mine.”

You nod, slipping your phone back in your pocket as you glance over the pumpkins all around you. As you’re crouching down to inspect one that looks promising, a pair of tiny arms wrap around your neck and you smile, turning to hug Ariel. “What’s up buttercup?” you ask when you see the very serious look on her face.

“You’re gonna carve them with us, right?”

“Of course!” You tap her nose, earning a small smile from her. “Your dad is a terrible artist, someone needs to make sure his pumpkin looks scary enough.”

“Hey!” Frankie whines from behind you, causing you both to giggle before you kiss the girl’s cheek. Satisfied with your answer, she lets you go, running off into the patch again as you and Frankie pick your own pumpkins. You flash Frankie a wink when you see him pouting, and it draws a smile from him instead. God, you love his smile.

~~~~

“No, dad, the nose is a triangle! TRI-AN-GLE” You cover your mouth, trying to suppress the laugh as Ariel smacks her dad’s pumpkin that he really is trying his best to carve. But the five year old is a harsh critic with very high standards. He looks up at you with those big puppy dog eyes, begging for help and once you are able to breathe again, you get the girl’s attention.

“You know, we could make three different jack-o-lanterns with three different noses!” The girl looks at you with the most incredulous look you have ever seen and you almost start laughing again at just how much she looks like Frankie. “We can make yours have a triangle! And mine can be a star and your dad’s can be a circle. How does that sound?” She stares at you, her young mind mulling over this possibility that she hadn’t yet considered before she nods, crossing her arms.

“That sounds good!” You glance over at Fankie and wink, the tiny tyrant appeased for now as you help her with her pumpkin. “Can we watch a movie after this, daddy?” She’s watching you work with extreme interest, making sure you don’t mess up her pumpkins.

“We can. What do you wanna watch?” You can feel Frankie’s eyes on you as you carefully carve out the triangle of Ariel’s pumpkin’s nose, tongue sticking out just a bit as you focus.

“Mmmmmmmm. Scary Godmother!” She bounces in her seat excitedly and you chuckle, spinning her completed, grinning jack-o-lantern around to face her. She smiles excitedly before spinning it to show her dad. “Triangle!” she cries, clearly pleased.

“I see that. It’s a perfect triangle! Don’t forget your manners, _mija_.” Frankie raises his eyebrows expectantly and Ariel turns back to you, looking at you with wide eyes.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” she cries, bouncing in her seat again and you giggle, reaching over to ruffle her soft brown hair.

“You’re welcome, _mijita_. Say, why don’t you go put on some jammies for the movie, hm?” You raise your eyebrow, smiling at her and she nods, hopping off the chair as she races upstairs.

“And wash your hands!” Frankie calls before sitting back in his chair when the bathroom door slams. “Thank you for doing this. Riri’s been begging to do this for days.”

“You know you could have called me sooner, Frankie.” You smile as you quickly carve up your own pumpkin, setting it next to Ariel’s when you finish it before getting up to start cleaning everything up. “I work from home. You know my schedule is flexible. Puls, we love our girl days.” He sighs, sitting back as he finishes his own, proud of his work. You raise an eyebrow at the shaky lines, but give him a smile when he looks at you hopefully. “Better than last year, I’d say.”

He does a little fist pump as he lets out a quiet “yes!” and you laugh, knocking off his hat to ruffle his hair as well before you take his carving tools to the sink. “And yeah, I know I could have, but you had just had her for a couple of days while I had to go a city over, I figured you could have used the break for a bit.”

“You’re so considerate, Morales.” You smile, taking your seat back at the table as the patter of small feet races back down the stairs. The two of you turn to see Ariel dressed in the Halloween jammies you had bought her while babysitting her last; a black cat on her shirt and witches’ hats on orange pants. “You ready, girl?”

“SPOOKY TIME!” she shrieks and you clap your hands, laughing as Frankie stares wide-eyed at his tiny terror.

Slowly, his eyes drift back to you. “You taught her that, didn’t you.”

“Guilty as charged!” you manage to get out between laughs as Ariel bounces in the hallway.

“Come on come on come oooonnnnn,” she whines before running to the living room.

“Yes, your highness! We’re coming.” You flash Frankie another wink as you get up, heading to the living room with the bouncing child with far too much energy for her own good. “You know,” you whisper when you take your seat next to her. “If you ask your dad nicely, he may make us some popcorn.” She lets out a tiny gasp, looking at you with wide eyes before she leaps from the couch to promptly attach herself to her father’s leg.

“Daaaaaaddddy? Can we pretty pretty please have popcorn? Pretty pretty please with sugar on top and a great big cherry?”

He opens his mouth to respond before glancing up at you, seeing the hopeful look on your own face before he caves and nods. “I think popcorn is a great idea, _mijita_. Go sit and I’ll make some.” He looks back up at you. “Mind pulling up the movie?”

“Sure, I got it.” You smile as Ariel climbs back up next to you, grabbing a blanket to cuddle into as you pull up the kid’s Halloween movie. Frankie eventually joins you, setting the bowl in his lap as he sits on the other side of Ariel who promptly digs into the snack. “Ready?” you ask, receiving a nod and an excited yes as you hit play.

It doesn’t take long for the popcorn to be gone, most of it disappearing into the black hole that Frankie calls his daughter. Poor thing eats herself into a food coma, crawling into your lap to rest her head against your chest. You smile, stroking her hair before kissing the top of your head as she uses you like a pillow, quickly falling asleep. Frankie has his arm slung across the back of the couch behind you as he watches the movie, smiling down at Ariel as she sleeps wrapped in your arms. With the comforting weight of the girl on top of you, it doesn’t take long for your own eyelids to droop, slowly leaning over against Frankie as consciousness slips from you in favor of a comfortable slumber, the sound of Frankie’s heartbeat the only thing registering to your ears.

When he feels you slump against him, Frankie all but forgets the goofy child’s movie playing on the TV, his gaze dropping to you. You look so peaceful when you sleep, the lines on your face relaxing. A smile crosses his lips as he scoots so your leg is pressed against his, his arm dropping around your shoulders to support you as you sleep. His chest grows warm and full as he watches you sleep, his daughter wrapped protectively in your arms as she sleeps right there along with you. You look so perfect together, like she was your own and he can’t help but wish that this was his every night. You’re his best friend, you had been with him through his most difficult and darkest times, and you still never saw him any different. You still never saw him any different….

His fingers stroke gently against your shoulder as the movie ends, the title screen popping back up as the living room falls silent save for the steady breaths from the three of you. It had always been you…. When he needed someone to watch the kid, or when he needed someone to talk to. When he needed an excuse to get out of something or when he just needed someone to sit in silence with while you both drank a beer. It has always been you. Even in the most painful of times you were there, smiling that beautiful smile as he battled with his own darkness, acting like his own personal lighthouse in the storms. His heart speeds up in his chest as he watches you, the thought of how soft your lips look dancing through his mind, wondering how it would feel to kiss you. _Oh…_ , he thinks as he watches the gentle rise and fall of your shoulders. _It’s always been you…_.

After a while you slowly stir, blinking sleepily at the screen as your mind slowly catches up. The movie had ended you’re not sure how long ago, and Ariel is still asleep against your chest. You turn then to look up at Frankie only to find him watching you with the softest light in his eyes and it brings a heat to your cheeks. “Sorry,” you whisper, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl on your chest and he just shakes his head, a gentle smile on his lips.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he whispers, his fingers still tracing light lines against your shoulder. “Let me go put her to bed.” He pulls his arm from around you and you immediately miss the touch, but help him to wrangle the sleeping child all the same. He cradles her to his chest as he carries her upstairs, leaving you on the couch to slowly come to your senses. You can still feel his fingers against your shoulder from where he had been stroking lazy lines, and it makes you smile softly to yourself. Glancing at the clock and seeing the late hour, you realize it’s probably best to be out of their hair, and you pull out your phone to order an uber just as Frankie makes his way back downstairs.

“Thank you for today, Frankie. I had a lot of fun. I’ll head home so you can head to bed.” You shake your phone, indicating your intention but he stops you with a gentle call of your name.

“Do… Do you want to stay?” His hands are stuffed in his jeans, shoulders hunched in the way he does when he’s nervous and your brow furrows a bit in confusion.

“I don’t want to impose, Frankie.”

He shakes his head vehemently, taking a few steps towards you until his right in front of you. His fingers gently tilt your chin up so you’re looking into his eyes. “No, I don’t mean on the couch or anything like that. I mean… do you want to stay? Do you want to stay with _me?”_

Your mouth opens slightly as you appraise the borderline desperate glint in his eyes. “As… As in your… bed?”

Frankie takes a shaky breath, squaring his shoulders as he nods. “As in my life, _querida_ ….” Your heart pounds in your chest and you worry for a moment that Frankie might hear it.

“Frankie I…” You swallow thickly, terrified that he just means as a friend or something like that.

“As more than just my best friend…?” It ends in a question from him, his brow creasing in worry that he’s just messed up the best thing that he has in this life, after his daughter. “As my girlfriend…?” It’s barely a whisper, a breath so light you feel that your own response may shatter it as you look up into his beautiful chocolate eyes. So you don’t use your voice, instead reaching up to wrap your hand around his neck, bringing his lips down to yours as you kiss him tenderly, your heart threatening to beat from your chest as you throw yourself off a ledge that you know there is no coming back from.

When you break the kiss, your eyes flutter open just in time to see his own do the same, his lips slightly parted as a gentle blush paints his cheeks. “I-Is that a yes?” he squeaks out and you can’t help the borderline relieved laugh that passes through your lips as you nod, beaming up at him. His arms wrap around your waist, pulling you flush against him as he hides his face in the crook of your neck, stubble tickling the skin. You wrap your arms around his neck, closing your eyes as you hold him close to you. “It’s always been you,” you hear him whisper against your neck before slowly pulling back, his eyes shining as a hand reaches up to cup your cheek gently. “It’s always been you.” 


End file.
